Chrome Digital

This is my go to printer for prints that matter. I’ve had them print and mount photos on metal, fine paper, and foam and I’ve been extremely happy with the level of quality from this shop.

What an unfortunate experience. I thought after reading the Unilocal reviews this place would be a winner. I brought in something for a business project thinking it would be best to support a local business instead of an internet print shop. I was promised I could pick up my project on X day. I call and could tell the guy didn’t know what I was asking about as it took him awhile to look up. I was told it wasn’t ready but assured it would be the next morning when I came in. I even told him I’d be by early morning. When I went in the next day, guess what? It wasn’t ready. The guy told me to go grab a coffee somewhere nearby while they «cranked it out». That was unbelievable because he basically admitted without saying it that they hadn’t even worked on it. So — no apology from the guy on the phone, no apology the second time it wasn’t ready either…
It was ready the next day, but by this point all love was lost by the poor customer service experience. I watched the people working there not greet customers (including myself) when they walked in. Good news is I got a huge order from a client for what was a tiny «business project»…bad news is there is no way I’ll ever give Chrome my business again.
Could be a great business if they just worked on their customer service skills.

I cannot rave enough about these guys. My main dude is James and he has always delivered! I have come to them every year for five years now to get my San Diego County Fair International Photography show pieces printed and matted.
Whether is two prints or ten, they always do an incredible job! And things are always ready by the day promised.
Last year, I had a small stack of photos that were to be exhibited and wanted to pick different papers for each one. James printed every photo on half a dozen different papers so I could see and feel the difference.
Seriously, who does that???
I send everyone I know to them and they all leave satisfied and happy. Seriously — these guys are pros.

I’ve been printing graphics arts for over ten years and have finally found the company that I will ALWAYS go back to. Professional service, excellent quality printing, timely shipping, and reasonable prices. Danny helped me through the process on the phone and ensured I received my product despite my location at a military APO delivery location. Chrome Digital is staffed by true professionals. Thanks!

Recently I went into Chrome Digital to have a 20“x30″ wedding photo canvas made and I Planned to present to a friend at her party (3 weeks out).
I was working with James. I came in and talked to him about what I wanted, and I gave him the digital image. He said in a few days he would email me the proof of what the photo looked like after the touch ups. Well a few days went by and I did not get any email from him. So I called him and he said he would have the proof emailed the next day.
Again, I had to call him the next day to remind him to send me the proof. He eventually sent it, but I was less than satisfied with the quality I received. It looked as if he rushed me just anything to shut up me up and to get me off his back. So i visited the store and we worked it out.
On the Sunday prior to the party, he sent me an email with the proof after he had touched it up again… it looked amazing! I replied back to the email and told him to go ahead and print on canvas. He promised to have it completed by Wednesday.
On Wednesday (3 days before the party) I did not get a call or email. I called on Thursday to inquire about the canvas, and someone else answered the phone and relayed a message from James saying that it would be ready Friday before close of Business (1 day before the party!).
I asked to speak to James, and I reminded James that he told me it would be ready Wednesday, his response was «Wern’t you just told Friday before close of business?»
At that point, I knew I no longer was in need of his service. His customer skills were lacking. And he DID NOT stay true to his word, even though he had 3 weeks to work on this. I still opted for Friday, James never called. Never heard from him since, I did not bother calling back because I did not want to be spoken to as if I were his child.
PC Photo & Imaging in Encinitas was able to complete my request in a 24 hour turn-​a-​round! With FLAWLESS results!

Needed a rush print for an art show. They were super helpful and got me exactly what I needed on time! Very nice staff. I’m from NYC but will definitely use them again next time I’m in town. They have some high quality wood, metal, and various paper printing options too.

Amazing! Our print came out so beautiful. We called and spoke to almost every person there because this was the first time I’ve ever printed anything like this before. We wanted a 24×36 print of our photograph to submit for an art exhibit, and I had a bunch of questions, every person I talked to was so helpful and even called us if there was any issues with the original. They really helped our work come out beautiful. Also they are really fast! The print was ready in two days, just in time to take it to the exhibit location a day before! I will definitely use them again for future prints.

I’ve been working with CHROME DIGITAL for many years. I love their easy access location right on Kettner, downtown San Diego, off the 5 freeway, when you’re going over to the airport in Little Italy
James, Kathy, Shad, and their staff Israel and Danny and some of the other folks over there, are always helpful and friendly and eager to please. They always greet me when I come in by name and get me a chair to sit in, if I have to wait. I’m usually doing touch up on some photographs and I need to meet with one of them to do some art work. They’re great with appointment times and with making the time for your deadlines to get your work completed for your clients.
I’ve been doing some of my clients work in acrylics and I just did another clients work on this new wood that they print on. Amazing, really impressed with the colors, the techniques, the style and the quality.
Shad has been working with me for years on photographs from Africa. He even produced a collection of photographs for a book for one of his clients.
I recommend this place because of the great pricing and great quality and they always get the job done on time. They stay in contact with you and they’re very fair about their approach to getting things done.
It’s a wonderful business location and has great energy and I love looking at the samples on their wall of their most recent works.

James and his team have been lifesavers for me on three printing projects so far. Most recently I messed up what size prints I needed and was on a really tight deadline and James rushed corrections for me without making me feel bad for my mistake at all! The first time I went in he spent a lot of time on Photoshop making sure we found exactly the print format I liked. The whole team is patient, professional and I’ve loved the results. Will definitely be coming back any time I need prints.

Have been to Chrome several times. A few times to ask questions and a few times to collect prints. The prints were top notch, I had some large dimension photos printed and a matte photo mounted to ultracore. The quality is fantastic.
The other times I have been in there to ask questions the team are always very helpful. As mentioned in some other reviews they probably aren’t the cheapest shop in town but the price difference is minimal and you really do get what you pay for and I’m happy to pay for these guys.
Chrome are good at what they do so in turn always seem to be very busy, that’s a good sign if they have a lot of customers. Plan ahead, get in early and give them plenty of turnaround time for specialty projects.
The dog at the shop is also friendly and likes a scratch behind the ear :)

I’ve been using Chrome Digital since 2008 on print projects that really matter to me. There are other shops around that are cheaper and I’ll sometimes use those if quality is not the greatest importance in the project that I’m working on. But when I want to put something on my wall or it’s something that is going in to competition and I don’t mind paying a little more for the premium service I always go there.
When you walk in to Chrome they have a nice waiting room with a big window on the street side, local artists work on two walls and on the third wall are work stations where they load up your photos, review them and give you advise for the project you are working on. This is where I feel the big difference is. When I’m spending several hundred dollars on a project, I want to make sure that the printer understands what my goals are and I want to get feedback since they are the printing experts.
On the last project that I worked on I was up against a deadline for a print competition and they were able to help me meet it even though they were very busy that week. I was already spending hundreds of dollars on entry fees so there was a lot depending on the speed and quality of the work. They were great to work with and I recommend them for any photo printing projects that are important to you.

There’s not a bad thing I could say about this place. When you walk in, the talent is screaming at you from the walls. James is an absolutely wonderful guy. He was willing to give helpful opinions, options, and advice on a print for my dad after the death of my mom. They can print on any medium and are extraordinarily talented. We will be back!

Little Italy is such a gorgeous location in SD, home to some of the most wonderful, hip restaurants around. But did you know Little Italy is home to one of the best stroller companies in the world, Bumbleride? We are good friends with the owner Matt and his wife Emily. Little did I know that another gem of a store is located right next door!!! Seriously, Chrome Digital and Film Services… What an awesome gem in Little Italy!
Services offered:
–metal prints
–Color/​Black & White negative film
–Photographic prints
–watercolor and canvas
–fine art giclee prints
–business murals and much more
I walked in today having a lot of questions about prints and Cathy was so friendly, patient, and helpful. She answered all my questions… and I had a few alright! :) They have a lot of samples to show you of the different types of paper they offer. I needed to get my giclee print samples quickly, as I’m on a tight deadline and she made it happen! If it’s your first time needing their services and you have questions, like I did, I recommend going there in person (if possible) and seeing the samples, rather than ordering online. Thank you so much! I’m looking forward to our lasting business relationship!

I used chrome to do a single special print a couple of months ago as a gift, they did such an awesome job, what made it even better was the fact that the recipient of the print was super happy. They did such a great job I just had 17 more prints done. Thanks to Danny for helping me out each time. Don’t bother checking the other companies out, chrome is the place to go.

I just wanted to take a minute to say thank you the the crew at Chrome. I’ve been getting services from you guys for years and the staff is always helpful and the printing is always on point!
Thanks guys, Keep up the good work.

You can tell a lot about a company by how they handle challenges. My small project had several of them, however each was met with a solution and at the end of the process I’m a very happy customer.
Thanks Chrome Digital, you did a great job and have a customer for life.

James, Shad and the crew there are phenomenal. As a struggling photographer presentation is everything to me and Chrome has really enabled me to offer great promotional pieces for my business. Their pricing is competitive compared with the big online print services but when you factor in their local roots and the love they show… pricing alone goes out the door. THEY CARE about their customers and the work that they touch. When James helped me frame up a fine art piece and found a dust speck inside the frame he immediately disassembled the work and got it right. A dust speck! Anyway… they will always have my business and I could not recommend them high enough.

These guys are great, they always take good care of me and my friends. Thumbs up to Shad and the gang for their patience and support! You guys rule!

A couple years ago I decided to try and become at least a semi-​professional artist/​illustrator and was having a difficult time finding a shop that could capture and print my drawings to the degree of quality I required. Upon another shop’s recommendation, I went to Chrome and I have never looked anywhere else.
Not only are their digital capture and printing capabilities absolutely first-​rate, their customer service is even better! In an age where companies simply don’t care about the customer experience, Chrome Digital goes above and beyond to make sure every order is done right. The very first time I went to Chrome I asked James what will happen if I’m not happy with my order and he said «We’ll work with you until it’s right.»
These guys are absolute pros and also some of the coolest, nicest people I’ve ever met. Don’t waste your time anywhere else. If you need something done right, Chrome Digital is the place to go.

I’m a San Diego based professional photographer and have been using Chrome for years — and I am so grateful for having such an amazing lab in town!
Easy to use (I can email small orders directly to James or upload via FTP large orders), great quality and fantastic customer service. I use Chrome for client’s prints when quality is very important as well as for my own personal prints.
I recommend Chrome to all my clients and friends.